Iraqi Tanks Roll Into Kirkuk

The 9th Tank Division of the Iraqi army drove into Kirkuk on the morning on Monday, October 16.

In this video, a line of Iraqi military tanks drives toward Kirkuk. One of the soldiers identifies himself as a part of the 9th Tank Division.

Iraqi military forces clashed with Kurdish Peshmerga fighting units who belong to the regional Kurdish government on the night of October 15.

In a statement, Iraqi prime minister Haider Al-Abadi said a referendum on Kurdish independence threatened the unity of Iraq. The Security Council for the Kurdistan Regional Government also reported clashes between Iraqi forces and the Peshmerga in Kirkuk on October 16.

The Iraqi Army said it had gained control of Kirkuk and the surrounding areas on October 16.

Iraqi army and Shia militia units from the Popular Mobilization Units advanced on the oil-rich city of Kirkuk following a standoff between Baghdad and Erbil over the Kurdish independence referendum on September 25. The Kurdish regional government had claimed Kirkuk, which has a majority Kurdish population, and has been under its effective control since Iraqi forces fled advancing Islamic State militants in 2014. Credit: Facebook/Ali Abdullah via Storyful